Who’s Attacking Joe the Plumber? Barack Obama Says Not Him

October 22, 2008

By LEE SPEIGEL

ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: At a rally before 30,000 in downtown Miami, Senator Obama said it was “remarkable” that Senator McCain has pointed the finger at him for being responsible for Joe the Plumber’s public portrayal.

“He’s decided to completely make up - just fabricate- this notion that I’ve been attacking Joe the plumber,” Obama said, “let me tell you something, even yesterday, just yesterday Joe the Plumber himself said that wasn’t true. I’ve got nothing but love for Joe the Plumber. That’s why I want to give him a tax cut.”

Senator Obama was referring comments Joe Wurzelbacher made on Fox News, saying he did not blame either campaign for his public depictions, , “I think the media pretty much did that all by themselves," he said Saturday, "You know, I don't think -- I held no animosity towards either of one them, by no means. No.”

Obama railed against McCain for introducing the idea that he’s responsible for Joe the Plumber being attacked and chalked it up to a lack of ideas on the McCain campaign’s part.

“Apparently Senator McCain’s decided that if he can’t beat our ideas, then he’s just going to make up some ideas and run against those. Well, what we need now is not straw men, we don’t need misleading charges. What we need is honest leadership and real change.”